Wrap up a book this holiday season
By M. CLARE HAEFNER | Covers courtesy of the book publishers
Books should be on everyone’s wish list. From suspenseful thrillers to inspiring cookbooks, here are a few titles even reluctant readers will be happy to unwrap during the holidays.
No one does suspense better than James Patterson. Add a country twist courtesy of collaborator Dolly Parton and you get Run, Rose, Run. Up-and-coming singer AnnieLee Keyes is running from her past, and it looks like it may catch her before she gets her first big break. Listen to Parton’s companion CD while you read and add another dimension to this entertaining tale.
John Grisham delivers another can’t-miss legal thriller in The Boys from Biloxi as he unfolds the twisted story of two sons of immigrant families who grow up as friends, but ultimately find themselves on opposite sides of the law.
Want a touch of romance? Check out Texas author DiAnn Mills’ latest novel, Concrete Evidence. It’s a suspenseful ride as an FBI agent and the granddaughter of a former senator try to solve a murder before a hurricane slams into the Texas coast.
If any one your gift list has an interest in politics, consider Nation of Victims: Identity Politics, the Death of Merit, and the Path Back to Excellence. Author Vivek Ramaswamy unpacks what’s wrong with America and what it will take to keep the country from falling apart like the Roman Empire.
Offering another take on the political arena is Michelle Obama’s The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times. The former first lady shares more practical wisdom and strategies for staying hopeful.
Fans of Harry Potter will love the illustrated editions that pair J.K. Rowling’s sensational stories with Jim Kay’s delightful drawings. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (book 5) is the latest in the series to get the illustrated treatment, bringing the wizarding world to life for new readers.
Young readers will love Rescue Dog Series: A Texas Dog Name Lucy Mae by local author Cheryl A. Hinckley. This heart-warming tale relates how a shelter dog finds her forever home with Hinckley’s family.
Parents should check out Dr. Becky Kennedy’s Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be to learn her tips for raising resilient, emotionally healthy kids, from birth to adulthood.
As the holidays bring families and friends together, feed them with some of the tasty recipes in Ina Garten’s Go-To Dinners. She shares her secrets to stress-free cooking with meals that always deliver.
Like me, you’ll probably overindulge during the holidays and will start the new year resolving to lose weight. The Galveston Diet from Dr. Marie Claire Haver offers six weeks of meal plans catered to women in midlife who want to balance nutrition and sustain weight loss.
Happy holidays and happy reading!
